Bulgaria's national team is playing today for its fourth victory in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League. Coach Gianlorenzo Blengini's boys face the tough Canadian team in their third match of the tournament in Group 6 of the second week of the competition at Stožice Arena in Ljubljana.
The match is this evening at 5:30 PM Bulgarian time and will be broadcast live on MAX One.
The 'Lions' started their participation in Ljubljana strongly, after defeating world champions Italy 3:2 (18:25, 25:20, 25:23, 19:25, 15:9). A day later, the Bulgarian team was very close to another big success but dramatically lost to hosts Slovenia 2:3 (25:19, 21:25, 25:17, 24:26, 6:15), after missing a match point in the fourth set.
Before today's clash, Bulgaria occupies 10th place in the VNL temporary standings with 3 wins and 9 points. Canada is 15th with 1 win and 6 points, which makes the encounter extremely important for both teams. A success will keep our national team in the battle for the Final Eight and will give them additional confidence before the last match of the tournament in Ljubljana.
Canada comes into the match after two defeats in the second week. The North Americans lost to Slovenia 1:3 (23:25, 25:23, 20:25, 23:25), and then also conceded to the excellently performing Ukrainian team 1:3 (19:25, 23:25, 25:18, 23:25). Despite the negative streak, the Canadians showed that they can be dangerous, especially in contested sets, and Bulgaria cannot afford to underestimate them.
The match also has significance for the world rankings. Bulgaria is 8th in the FIVB rankings with 263.76 points, while Canada is 14th with 240.34 points. This places additional weight on the match, as every victory in the Nations League directly impacts positions in the global hierarchy.
Bulgaria and Canada last met in the VNL in 2025. Then, in Quebec, the Canadians won 3:0 (26:24, 25:23, 25:19), after winning two very contested first sets and not allowing the Bulgarian team to get back into the match.
Now the situation is different. Bulgaria enters the match with more confidence, after a victory over Italy and a strong match against Slovenia. Against Canada, the 'Lions' will seek not only revenge for last year's loss, but also a fourth VNL victory, which could prove very important in the battle for a spot among the top eight.

photo:volleyballworld.com